Just A Dream Away
by purpleberry56
Summary: "She wasn't supposed to feel safe in his embrace. She wasn't supposed to shiver when his hand touched hers. She wasn't supposed to get lost in his cerulean eyes. She wasn't supposed to feel anything for this man. She knew it was wrong. It had to be." Who is this stranger Elena has been dreaming about since her mother died? Can he be real?
1. Heavy In Your Arms

Hello there! This is my very first Vampire Diaries fanfiction, well my first published fanfiction. I guess I was too shy to upload anything until now. But here I am, writing a Delena romance and expecting people to read and enjoy it. Gotta thank my real-life friend ShatteredMelody for this.

The title for this chapter was inspired by Florence and The Machine's song. Hats off to her.

Anyway, enjoy!

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_Chapter One: Heavy in Your Arms_

_This time she was in a grand ballroom. The orchestra was playing Boccherini__'s Minuet as dozens of couples danced blissfully, lost in a world of their own, masks hiding their identities. They seemed so relaxed, so free, so happy. Three things that she hadn't felt in months, maybe years. Not since her mother died anyways._

"_Speaking of years…This has to be 19__th__ century" Elena thought to herself while admiring the beautiful gowns and the sparking jewelry. Soon though, she caught sight of her own reflection in an immense, Venetian mirror and gasped in bewilderment. She was wearing a stunning midnight blue dress of that time, along with a pair of white gloves that went just below her elbow. Long brown curls were falling behind her shoulders pressed behind a black lace mask ."This can't be real" she whispered as she brought her hand to touch the pearl necklace which adorned her neck ._

_Then he appeared, just like he did every single time. He was a shadow ,a monster or maybe even the devil himself. Oh God, he was watching her. Elena felt dizzy just from staring into his crystal blue eyes that seemed to devour every inch of her body. She should back off, run away while she still got the chance. But before she could even blink, it was too late. He took her hand in his and gently kissed the back of her palm._

"_May I have this dance, milady?" his voice was a low, seductive whisper._

_Elena nodded and slowly rested her arms on his shoulders as her heart was beating harder and harder out of her chest. Hell, if that's what darkness felt and looked like, she was more than ready to take the swan dive. _

"_What is wrong with me?" Elena mentally slapped herself. She didn't know who this man was, how old was he or why she was dancing with him. They'd just met, right? Then why was there something about him so familiar, so delicate? Why did she felt so drawn to him in the first place? "Because you've seen him before. You know him. You belong with him" a tiny voice said at the back of her mind. Wait, what?_

"_You haven't told me your name, sir" she asked him, her head spinning from so many questions._

"_It's Damon" he said, his gaze burning with desire._

_Soon enough though, the music stopped, breaking the spell. "I have to go now" Elena heard herself say. She could do it, she just had to distance herself from him and she'd be free. The question is how much did she really want to? Hardly had she turned away however, when he caught her arm and pulled her back in his arms._

"_Elena…" he purred, gently caressing her cheek. _

_She wasn't supposed to feel this way. She wasn't supposed to feel safe in his embrace. She wasn't supposed to shiver when his hand touched hers. She wasn't supposed to get lost in his cerulean eyes. She wasn't supposed to feel anything for this man. She knew it was wrong. It had to be. Then why did it feel so damn right? _

"_Don't be afraid" he leaned to whisper in her ear. Be afraid? Why would she be afraid ? _

"_It'll hurt just a little" he smiled wickedly, revealing a pair of white sharp fangs as his veins began to form just beneath his eyes. Elena had time to blink twice before she felt an excruciating pain spread from her neck all the way through her body._

An earsplitting scream came from the top of her lungs as Elena flung her eyes open. She instinctively brought her hand to her neck, relieved to find no scar at all. She was in her bed, in her house, in Mystic Falls, in 2011. It had all been just a messed-up nightmare. "No better way to start the first day of school" Elena rolled her eyes. She buried her head in the pillow praying that she'd dream about unicorns and pink fairies this time. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn't stop thinking about a certain blue-eyed demon who'd be haunting her dreams over and over and over again from there on.


	2. The New Guy

**This is Chapter 2! A massive thank you to anyone who followed the story. You're awesome!**

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_Chapter 2: The New Guy_

" So basically you've been having these _visions_ since the accident?" Bonnie asked while taking some notebooks out of her locket.

" I wouldn't call them visions" Elena shrugged."Just repetitive dreams."

" But there is always this blue-eyed guy?" Caroline yawned, visibly not as interested as Bonnie seemed to be.

" Yeah I guess so. He's just … a different person every time. The eyes are always the same, though. Gosh, am I going crazy? Or is it just some weird PTSD?"

" Nah, you're just crazy" Jeremy cut in. He was wearing a grey Metallica shirt, some worn jeans and a pair of blue Converse shoes. Nothing stood out, except for his bloodshot eyes and the black circles under his eyes.

" Very funny. Don't you look dashing today?" Elena replied in a mocking voice. " Jer, school's started. No more playing Xbox for 5 hours straight or listening to your emo bands' till your ears bleed."

" Thanks, mum." Jeremy rolled his eyes and Elena cringed. Seven months ago that remark would have done nothing but to piss her off but now… things were different. Very different. Aunt Jenna had stepped in as their legal guardian and although she was barely 28 years old she did a pretty decent job. To be honest she wasn't a exactly role model nor did she know how to boil an egg but she really did her best. Elena loved her even more for that and hoped that Jeremy did the same.

" Anyway my fair ladies I have somewhere I need to be so I'm outta here. Peace out! he waved his hand dismissively and was soon out of sight.

" Teenagers, always so full of themselves" Caroline shook her head, sighing. " You okay, Elena?"

" Yeah, I'm fine. I just…" she managed to say before the bell rung, ending their break.

"History next, I guess. The only class I have actually been looking forward to this whole day! See you later, Care" Bonnie said as she waltzed towards the class.

"Have fun you geeks" the blonde winked cheekily, before joining another group of girls.

* * *

"Bonnie Bennett and history. I never thought I'd live to see the day"

"Oh, come on Elena! Haven't you heard about the new guy who's just transferred? I hope he's hot" Bonnie sighed wistfully, placing one hand near her heart and closing her eyes.

"Sure, sure" Elena bit back a smile as she pulled a chair and let her books fall on her desk. In a matter of seconds though, her sight became unfocused and she had absolutely no control over what she was about to say:"_ I bet he has a fancy name –Stefan Salvatore- or something posh like that. His eyes are pure green and he's got chestnut brown hair. He is a kind, romantic guy, but hides a dark secret."_

"What the hell was that?" she heard a voice say.

Elena's eyes grew wide with terror, Bonnie' s words pulling her back to reality. She ran her fingers through her hair, unsuccessfully trying to calm herself.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep to well last night" she smiled weakly. Elena was a terrible liar, but Bonnie seemed to have dropped the subject.

"Hope you're right though. About the hair and the eyes" the girl giggled just as Mr. Tanner entered the classroom, followed by another student. Elena raised her eyes and was soon out of breath. The boy, who didn't look older than 17, was staring at her, his green eyes running over her slender figure. He gave her a genuine smile, before being introduced to the class.

"This is Stefan Salvatore. He's going to be your classmate for the rest of the year so treat him well" the teacher said, motioning for Stefan to sit on the empty chair just behind Elena.

"_I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy ,I'm going crazy "_Elenakept replaying the mantra over and over in her head. She needed to get out of there, fast. If only she hadn't come to school that freaking Monday…

"_No, I'm not going to crawl under a hole and pretend I'm dead. I can face school. I can face boys. I can face life"_ she thought, tapping her fingers and avoiding to look at Bonnie, who was calling her name desperately.

"Elena Gilbert, God damn it, look at me!"

Bonnie nearly screamed this time, earning herself curious glares from the rest of the class and even from Mr. Tanner himself.

"Am I interrupting your gossip sessions? Ms. Bennett? Ms. Gilbert?"

"No sir" Elena bit her lip.

"I'm sorry" the other girl looked down ashamed.

"Very well then. As I was saying…"

* * *

By the time the class had ended, Elena could have sworn that she spent 60 days forced to listen to Mr. Tanner's boring speeches and trying to avoid both Stefan and Bonnie. So, as soon as she was given the assignment ,she basically ran to the hallway, bumping into some people in the process.

"You're s_o_ not avoiding me this time, Gilbert" her friend caught up with her.

"Bonnie, stop it. I'm not in the mood for this right now" Elena cried. "I'm barely keeping it together. My mom died in a car accident, my dad's a drunk and I have _awesome_ superpowers now. I just want to go home, take a shower, watch "Titanic", cry a little and forget this stupid day even happened."

As if that was going to happen. She noticed the way Stefan looked at her during their class. She'd seen it before: desire, tenderness and a hint of curiosity. The old Elena would have relished in the fact that a handsome new student would give her the time. Now, however she found it creepy as hell.

"Hey, it's okay." Bonnie smiled, pulling Elena in for a hug. "Just know that you can talk to me whenever you want, or to Caroline, or even to Gramps."

"I know" the brunette sighed. "Please don't tell Caroline about this. I'll tell her myself, sometime soon."

"Sure. See you tomorrow then." Bonnie waved goodbye as they stepped out of the school in the lovely autumn sun.

"Bye. And Bonnie…thanks, for everything."

"A friend in need is a friend indeed" Elena heard the other girl say in a chirpy voice, although she was nowhere to be found.

She got inside her car but decided against going home. If there was somebody she could talk to, she would pay her a visit right away. Even if that meant going to the Mystic Falls Graveyard.


	3. Promises in the Wind

**Woo-hoo, fast update! I'll be a while before the next one, though.**

**Once again, thanks for the amazing response. **

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When you arrive at the big wooden doors of the Mystic Falls Graveyard, you can't help but notice the sheer number of people who had been buried there: solders, unknown heroes, beloved grandparents or even feeble children who died without having the chance to live at all. It was a rueful sight, yet something was definitely off. It was quiet, _way too quiet, _even for a Monday afternoon.

Elena took a deep breath as she slowly walked towards her mother's grave.

_Miranda Gilbert: loving mother, devoted wife, caring sister. Eternally missed._

"Hi mom." she said awkwardly, placing a bouquet of red roses on the soft grass."It's been a while. Things have changed a lot since you…left" Elena trailed off, fighting back the tears that were sure to come. She sat on the ground, resting her back on the cold tombstone, quietly observing the surroundings.

"I needed somebody to talk to and, well, here I am." she smiled weakly. "I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss you shouting at me for not tiding my room, or scolding Jeremy and I for making fun of Fat Joe, our grumpy neighbor."

Elena looked down and began to play with some strands of grass. _"Too many memories."_

"People have started to move on, so I guess that's a good thing. Dad's doing better. He's been admitted at a rehab clinic in Florida. His cousin Paige is there with him and keeps us posted. She says he's been making progress and that he may even be discharged by the end of February. He's the one who suffered the most so I can't say I blame him for turning to alcohol. I just wish I could do something, _anything _to help him." Elena bit her lip. "But I don't know what and that's driving me crazy. I promise I'll spend more time with him when he comes back. Maybe we'll be a family again" she sighed.

"Jeremy's depressed and he's 16. Bad combination. He thinks he's doing just fine but he's in denial. To make matters worse, he's got a crush on Vicki Donovan, who's like, the worst influence possible for him. I tried to talk to him but he shuts me off every single time .So, I suck at being a good sister too." She laughed humorlessly. "Aunt Jenna is taking care of us now. She works really hard, you know. I'm glad that we have her."

"_The sky is so blue"_ Elena thought absently as she felt the wind caress her face. _"I really hope that mom's listening."_

" I've started to spend quite a lot of time with Uncle John. If you ignore his smartass remarks and his ramblings about vampires, he's really a good guy and a cool uncle. He began to teach me how to protect myself. He says that badass chicks attract more guys" She giggled.

"Anyway, today was the first day of school and it sucked. Big time. Everybody kept staring at me like I was some kind of broken machine. I can't stand their pitiful glares and their quiet whispers. I'm freaking 17, I can take care of myself!" Elena clenched her fists and turned around so was directly facing the tombstone.

"How I wish you were here, mom! There are so many things I want to talk to you about, some many things only you could teach me! I don't know how I'm supposed to move on. You were my role model, my best friend, my rock. How can I pretend that everything is going to be fine? Ever since you passed away, I kept having these strange dreams and now I have some kind of visions." Elena took a deep breath, before going on. "I'm scared that I'm starting to lose my sanity. I have to keep it together though, for Jeremy. He can't lose anyone else. But it's so hard without you…"

"What am I supposed to do? What would you tell me if you were here?" she bit her lip and reached for the iPod in her purse. "I feel so alone, mom. I know that I have Caroline and Bonnie but they already have enough on their plate. I don't want to burden them with my messed-up life." Elena said as she began to play absentmindedly with the little device in her hands.

" I shouldn't have called you that night…Maybe if I hadn't gone to that stupid party you'd have still been here. Maybe this is my fault." She added just as she heard a soft _woosh_ behind her. She jumped back terrified but was surprised to see that there was nobody else behind her in the graveyard.

"_Great, now I'm starting to hear things"_ the brunette stood up and started to rub her shoulders in an attempt to warm herself. The air suddenly grew cold, making Elena shiver uncontrollably.

"Uncle John is probably waiting for me so I'll be on my way. I promise I'll be strong, just as you were. I'll fight for my happiness and I'll try to make things better. Just watch, mom." Elena smiled wholeheartedly and made her way to the car, although she couldn't shake the feeling that something or somebody was watching her every move.

* * *

"What's the matter, Elena? You seem stressed." John asked his niece who was desperately looking for something in her purse.

"It's my iPod. I think I dropped it when I was in the graveyard. It's dark outside and there's no way I'm going back there at this hour." She cried. "There goes 3 GB of music…"

'I'm sure it'll still be there in the morning or in the afternoon. That reminds me… there's something I wanted to give you. It's somewhere around here." He said absently as he began to search the living room.

Uncle John's house wasn't too big and yet, clumsy as he was, he always seemed to lose his belongings. He had bought a house right on the outskirts of Mystic Falls and decided to prolong his visit so he could keep an eye on Jeremy and Elena. Aunt Jenna didn't particularly like him, for reasons that were unknown, but John didn't seem to notice or care at all.

"Found it!" she heard him shout from the other room. "Thought I lost it for a second there" he said enthusiastically, returning with a small wooden box which had some strange symbols engraved on it. Elena opened it curiously and saw a bracelet with the same symbols on it.

"Wow…it's-"

"It's a vervain bracelet." John explained. "It protects you from bad spirits and nasty magic."

" And by bad spirits you mean vampires?" Elena raised a brow skeptically.

"Since you put it that way…yes. Vampires, being creatures of the night, can make people-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Elena cut him off. "It's like a good luck charm and it's pretty as well. Thanks, uncle John." She added as she carefully put on her bracelet.

"Elena, this is serious. Vampires, witches, werewolves, they all exist. And now, they're back in Mystic Falls. "

"I'm not saying they exist, but even if they did, why would they target me, _plain Elena_?"

" For starters, you are not _plain Elena_ and well, it's better to stay out of harm's way." John shrugged. "Care for a cup of tea?"

* * *

They kept chatting for hours until Elena's phone started buzzing and she realized that Aunt Jenna's ringtone was playing in the background.

"It's getting late, I should go home before Jenna gets mad at me. Thanks again." Elena hugged her uncle and glanced one more time at her bracelet.

"Keep in mind what I told you!" she heard John say before she closed the front door. She had parked her car a few feet away so she began to look for the keys in her purse. However, the sound of flapping wings made her stop just as she was about to get inside the car. She turned around and noticed, well, the biggest bird she'd ever seen around there.

"It's a raven." she thought bewildered. The wings were black and the beak sharp, seemingly ready to devour its prey. But that's not what scared her the most. The way the raven seemed to be looking at her, its eyes staring right into her soul, sent shivers running down Elena's spine. "_More proof that I'm going crazy"_ she gulped as she started the engine.

She'd seen that look before, she simply couldn't remember where.

* * *

**Soooo, what did you think about Elena's talk with her mother? **

**John's a good guy...for now. We'll see whether he changes or stays the same.**


	4. Reality

**Woo, update! Thanks again for your kind words and for reading the story. It means a lot to me :)**

**As promised, more Damon in this chapter. **

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Chapter 4: Reality

_Don't stop, no one's ever enough  
I'll never look back, never give up  
And if it gets rough, it's time to get rough  
But now I'm falling_

_Haim- Falling_

* * *

_The sky was moonless and the streets empty. She didn't know where she was or what she was doing at such a late hour but she kept walking. Was she looking for something in particular? She couldn't tell._

_Just then, her blood seemed to freeze inside her veins as she heard footsteps behind her getting closer and closer. "Run" was all she managed to think before her feet started to move, her heart beating a thousand miles an hour. She glanced back over her shoulder and was surprised (and maybe a little disappointed?) when she saw nothing at all. Way wasn't she relieved? She wasn't secretly hoping that something, anything would happen to her, right?_

"_The resemblance is uncanny" she heard a voice say from not so far away. In the blink of an eye, she was met with a pair of sharp blue eyes, which were boring into hers._

_No, not again. Not him. She'd promised her mother that she'd be strong, that she'd be there for Jeremy and that she'd help Jenna. How exactly was she supposed to let go of everything and start over when these dreams came back to haunt her, over and over again? How was she supposed to be in control when she was on the verge of breaking down? How was she supposed to fight when his body was standing so dangerously close to hers?_

"_What do you want from me?" she managed to say as she found herself staring at his lips. Was that what she'd become? A girl so desperate, she'd give herself to the first good-looking guy? That's not who she was, who she wanted to be. Even so, merely breathing seemed to be an increasingly difficult task around this particular man._

_He smirked and raised his hand to caress one of her cheeks. She saw an unidentifiable emotion light up his masculine features but it was gone in a matter of seconds. Why was he looking at her as if she were his long forgotten love, as if he knew her? She would have definitely noticed someone like him hanging around in Mystic Falls. Half the town, would've, for sure._

"_Don't be so surprised, you're no ordinary girl." his words interrupted her internal monologue."You're quite special. I want you, Elena." _

_Her heart stopped on the spot._

"_And I always get what I want, one way or the other." He leaned to whisper in her ear, his voice dark with need. "The real question is…" he added, blue eyes meeting chocolate brown ones, "…what do you want?"_

_Her brain was screaming at her to put an end to this nonsense and run the hell away from there, but her body wouldn't budge. Why was her subconscious torturing her like that for?_

_His lips then claimed hers, pulling her impossibly close. Blood was singing in her veins and Elena's lips parted in surprise, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Soon enough, she found herself reciprocating, intoxicated by his smell, his touch, his whole being. She felt that she could fly, like there was literally no one else in the entire universe, besides the two of them. She fisted her hand in his raven locks, a low moan escaping from the back of her throat. He was kissing her with such passion that left Elena equally dizzy and hungry for more, their tongues battling for dominance. She felt like she belonged in those muscular arms. She felt strong and ready to face the world again. _

_He then slowly began to plant kisses on her jaw line, working all the way towards her neck column. Her skin burned where he'd touched her and she could feel every muscle, every hard plane pressed over her body. Just then, she saw a pair of shiny white fangs descend from his mouth as be began to scrape at her pulse line in the barest of touches. She didn't pull away however, and felt a sting of pain as they sank into her soft flesh. It was different from the last time, she recalled idly. Instead of never-ending pain, she was overwhelmed by a sense of pure pleasure. It did hurt a little, but it was ah, so worth it. She closed her eyes and clung to him as if to dear life itself. Was it wrong? Could it be right? She barely knew her name anymore._

"_Damon…"she managed to breathe out his name, afraid that it might ruin everything. She simply couldn't understand why somebody like him would be even remotely interested in her. She pushed aside such thoughts for later, though. She'd have a lot of time to deal with the consequences of her actions, that's for sure. After all, he was kissing her, Elena Gilbert, and that was all that mattered for now._

"_I love you Katherine." He whispered adoringly._

Elena woke up, almost jumping out of bed. A fine sheet of sweat covered her body and she unconsciously raised her hand to her lips.

"_What. The. Hell."_

This time, it seemed real. Way too real. Dreams are just projections of the unconscious, things that our brain made up, based on what we saw or heard during the day. A fantasy, a lie. Dreams aren't real, they don't mean anything. They aren't premonitions or forgotten memories from another lifetime. She was just stressed and her body was reacting to it, that's all. There, you got it: the logical explanation.

As the moon dimly illuminated her room, Elena noticed her silver bracelet lying on the nightstand. She didn't believe in bad omens, supernatural creatures or other stuff that her town was so proudly promoting. Still, she slowly put the bracelet on, observing the delicate engravings on it. She climbed back to bed, pulling the covers over her head. She needed all the energy she could get to make it through a new day. Maybe the bracelet would have a calming effect, maybe it had been blessed by some Japanese priest or whatever. She didn't care. She just wanted to go back to bed. Thinking of what she'd dreamt about was strictly off limits.

"This thing better work." She sighed before closing her eyes and drifting back to sleep for the second time that night.

The rest of the week would surely be an interesting one.

* * *

Only it wasn't. Not until Friday, at least. She'd found out a few things by then:

1)Tyler Lockwood was still an asshole. Not that she'd forgotten. It seemed that both him and Jeremy had an everlasting crush on Vicky Donovan and she just kept screwing with both of them. Bitch.

2)Jeremy was still depressed. That meant more PC games, more emo attitude, more Vicky. Everything was over the top. Couldn't he see what that girl was doing to him? Ah, yes, love… The answer for all that trouble. Elena knew that Jeremy ( in his 16-year old brain) really loved Vicky and thought that he could change her ways. She would have a heart-to heart conversation with him about this, that's for sure.

3)Stefan was a nice guy. Sure, he was shy and very-very mysterious about his past but hey, he seemed to be trying to fit it. She knew almost nothing about him, except for the fact that he had an older brother and that he lived in the boardinghouse, on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly looking forward to the history class again. And it surely had nothing to do with a certain someone's tender green eyes. Not. One. Bit.

So that's why Friday morning found her in a better mood than usual. She'd get to live again, to not be the slave of her own dreams. She wouldn't seek solace in the arms of a man who didn't exist, even if she'd felt so alive in his embrace. Everything would go back to normal. She'd be a lively girl again and that's what she wanted the most: a happy, normal, boring life.

"Someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning." Jenna's voice filled the house as Elena climbed down the stairs. "Pancakes?"

"No thanks" she smiled. "I'm gonna be late for school if I don't hurry up. See you tonight!" Elena kissed her aunt and got out of the house, almost slamming the front door. Nothing could ruin her mood, not that day.

"_Maybe this thing is actually working"_ she thought to herself as she parked the car near the school and looked at her bracelet. She'd stopped having nightmares the moment she'd put it on and she finally managed to get a good night's sleep. She'd have to thank John for giving it to her when she'd visit him on Monday.

She soon caught up with Bonnie and Caroline in the schoolyard and quickly joined their heated argument about some newly released song which was constantly playing on the radio.

"Gosh, Elena, did you hear it? It's horrible!" Bonnie shook her head disapprovingly.

"No, it's not, and you know it. Go on, Elena, tell her. You're the only one that can-"

A cold shiver ran down her spine as she suddenly felt the air around her shift. Something was off and she knew it. She glanced back over her shoulder and gasped in shock. Remember that speech about living a boring life? About moving on and simply enjoying being a normal teenager? Yeah, right. Her world came crushing down the moment a pair of fiery blue eyes locked with hers.

He was real and he was standing on the other side of the yard, watching her every move.

* * *

**Taaa-daa. They've finally met. **

**Hope you liked the chapter :D**


	5. Chit-Chat

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 5: Chit-chat_

Elena, you listening? Hello? Earth to Elena?" Caroline stepped in front of her, obstructing her view. "Who were you staring at?"

"Nobody" Elena shook her head. There was no way she was going to tell them the truth. _"Yeah, that's the guy that I have been dreaming of for the past six months and guess what? We even kissed! Too bad it was all in my head" _Soap opera much?

"Was it that guy across the yard?" the blonde winked mischievously. "Cause he's H-O-T."

"He's way too old. Look at him, he's probably 30 or something. Probably dating some beauty queen as well." Bonnie laughed but quickly became serious when she saw Elena's astonished face.

"Who cares if he's old? I'd totally date him. He has gorgeous blue eyes! Don't you agree, Elena?"

That moment everything clicked in Bonnie's mind: the way Elena was looking at that man, her sudden loss of words, her growing nervousness. _"No way"_ she gasped. Maybe it was her 6th sense or maybe it wasn't, yet something was telling her to leave Elena alone for now. She hated herself for not being able to help her in any way, but her grandmother had always told her to listen to her intuition. Witch related stuff mostly.

"Caroline, why don't we give Elena a moment? I'm sure she has something she needs to do" she added with exaggerated excitement, basically shoving her friend inside the school and giving Elena an understanding nod.

"What's up with you guys?" The blonde cried as Elena mouthed a thank-you. "Bonnie, let me go! You're seriously hurting me!"

Elena saw the two of them disappear and smiled wholeheartedly. She would have to tell them everything once the day was over, maybe even throw a sleepover to pour her heart out. Jenna wouldn't mind, of course.

_"But first…"_ she ran her fingers through her hair, exhaling deeply _"…let's see how crazy I really am." _ Having made up her mind, she walked towards the mysterious guy, tying to think of what to say.

"_Hi, my name's Elena and I know you quite well because you've been haunting my dreams." _ or "_Hey, I dreamt about you a few days ago, wanna make out?"_

Seeing him from up close Elena couldn't help but marvel at his god-like features. His black hair almost begged to be ruffled and his eyes sparkled with a strange glint. His lips _(oh, his lips!)_ looked as if they were made to kiss and to be kissed. She wondered what it would be like to be wrapped in those masculine arms, to feel his hot breath against her skin, to see the love in his eyes. Lost in that fantasy for a moment, she didn't realize she had been standing just a few meters away from him, looking like an absolute fool.

"You're staring." He spoke up, surprising her.

" And you're standing in the middle of the yard like you own the place. Couldn't exactly help it." She gave a shrug, refusing to look away from him. Had she expected him to be like that? No, scratch that. What had she been expecting actually? As far as she was concerned, he was just an ordinary _(student, maybe?) _guy leaning on a willow tree. Still, there was something funny about him but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Oh that's nice, coming from the girl who came to _me_ but never actually introduced herself. Who's acting like a spoiled brat here?" his lips quirked into a smirk. Cleary, he enjoyed that conversation very much.

That smirk alone did nothing but annoy Elena. _"This is so not going well" _He was right, though. She'd been the one who impolitely stared at him like he was some kind of foreign creature. Only he wasn't. He was just full of himself. Nothing special at all.

"Yeah, about that, sorry. I'm Elena." She smiled awkwardly.

"Don't sweat it, honey. I get that reaction all the time, especially from girls." A shrug was given, making Elena raise a brow. " _So he is that type of guy, huh?"_ She was a little disappointed but she had spent enough time around her brother to know how to handle overly narcissistic douchebags. "I'm Damon" he said casually, not looking away from her.

"You're Stefan's brother, right?" Elena heard herself say. "_Where did that come from?"_

"Oh, I see that my reputation precedes me" he smiled in a way that made Elena's stomach flutter. "Tell me, what did my cute little brother say about me? I stole his hairspray? I killed his hamster? I caught him listening to One Direction?"

"Sibling rivalry much?" Elena giggled although she knew she shouldn't. Maybe that's why Stefan almost never spoke about his family. What could've possibly happened between the two of them? Why did she feel that there was more to their relationship? Was she over-thinking everything again?

"You could say that. I haven't seen him in a very long time, though. That's why I came back, to spend some time with him." He looked into the distance, looking at something she couldn't see. For a moment, he seemed lonely, abandoned, desperately searching for something or someone to give his life a purpose. Her heart cringed but whatever emotion he felt was gone now, his face blank and unreadable.

Elena seriously doubted that he came back to get in touch with his brother, but couldn't realize why. She knew nothing about him so why question his motives? She hoped it had nothing to do with her newly discovered paranormal senses. It would be too weird altogether.

"No, really, what did he say about me? You made me very curious" he stepped forward so that his face was merely inches away from hers._"Focus, focus, damn it!" _Elena slapped herself mentally.

"Not much, actually" she tried to sound unaffected. "He just mentioned having an older brother he hadn't seen in a long while."

"What gave me away, then? I was planning to go unnoticed for a while."

"_Unnoticed?" _Elena thought when she realized that the entire school was now staring at her chatting with ridiculously good-looking guy. Judging by the way gossip spread around Mystic Falls, she'd probably be married to him the following day and would've already split up by the time school started on Monday. _"Just what I needed" _she sighed to herself.

"You seemed to be looking for someone but you're not a transferred student, I would've known if you were .Also, there aren't many tourists in Mystic Falls and with Stefan having an older brother I just took a wild guess."

"Nice logic." He looked somewhat impressed.

"I watch House a lot" she smiled proudly.

"You're into bloody medical stuff?"

"My father is a doctor so it kinda runs in the family .Except for my mother…" she trailed off, suddenly remembering the horrid details of that night with morbid clarity: the pale moon, her desperate attempts to crawl away from the wrecked car, her futile attempts to reach for her phone, but most of all, the serene face of her mother and the loving look she gave Elena as she slipped away from this world and into the darkness.

"…she wasn't a big fan." Elena managed somehow to finish that sentence. It was the worst time ever that she'd start having flashbacks about the accident and the fact that Damon seemed to have noticed her hesitation didn't help at all. She didn't want the others to see her pain so she always covered it with a joke or a fake smile. No one ever suspected a thing, but in reality, she was bleeding heavily on the inside.

A few long seconds passed and she realized that Damon hadn't come up with a sarcastic remark or with some lame joke about what she'd said. Instead, he just stood there, watching her with unmasked curiosity. Just like the previous time however, all of it was gone in a matter of seconds.

"You're that kind of girl, aren't you? All bossy and fearless when actually you're scared that one day somebody will figure you out and realize that you're no more than a broken little girl."

If she didn't have a better control of herself, she would've slapped him on the spot. Who was he to say what she was or what she wasn't? He had no right to judge her.

"Do tell me how you've reached that conclusion. I bet it's a hell of a story." She backed away from him as anger boiled up inside her like a volcano. She felt like tearing somebody up so she clutched her notebooks so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Shouting at graves might have something to do with it." he said simply, grinning just like the cat who got the mouse.

Elena's eyes grew wide with terror and she felt weak in knees. _No, not that conversation_. He couldn't have seen her at her most vulnerable. He couldn't have heard her make promises to a cold tombstone.

"And here I thought I was the creepy lurker girl. Hopefully, you beat me at this one." She said a little too loud and cursed herself for being so stupid. Of course that was exactly how he'd been expecting her to react. And she fell right into his trap.

"The last time I checked, the graveyard was a public place and trust me, it was hard not to miss you. "he snorted. "Besides, you were nice enough to leave this behind."

He reached for something in his pocket and for a crazy second, Elena thought he was going to pull out a knife and attack her. Clearly, she still wasn't getting enough sleep. Instead, her eyes lit up as he revealed her shiny green iPod shuffle.

"I never thought I'd see it again" she gasped in amazement, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be mad at him. He placed the little device in her hands and Elena felt a sting of electricity when his hand briefly touched hers. She felt like hugging him but she managed to stop herself just in time. Why is it so hard to control herself around him?

"Nice playlist, by the way." He broke her out of her stupor. "Pink Floyd and Deep Purple? Not what you'd expect from your average emo teen. You in particular don't seem to be the rocker girl."

Elena's face flushed a bright pink as she opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She thought about a million replies, from a lecture about privacy to how sacred one's playlist was. She decided against those in the end, sighing exasperated.

"People aren't always what they seem." She responded with a hint of melancholy in her voice, finally meeting his eyes. "For all I know, you could be a serial killer and I wouldn't suspect a thing."

Something strange flickered through his eyes then, a ghost smile appearing on his face.

"You don't know just how right you are." He leaned close to her, voice dangerously low. Elena felt the air being sucked out of her lungs and blinked twice to make sure she wasn't dreaming again. Was it possible that he looked even better in reality?

"It was a pleasure talking to you, Elena." He whispered in her ear, making her shiver at his tone. "Please don't tell my brother I'm here. I want to stay in the shadows a tad longer." He pulled away, playing with the strands of her hair.

"Why? I thought you wanted to see him."

"I'm having too much fun." He concluded and in an instant he was gone.

Elena looked around sacredly, only to realize he was truly out of sight. It all happened so fast that she began to wonder if she had really spoken to him or if it all had been yet another messed-up dream. Still confused, she headed towards the classroom and arrived just before the teacher did.

She had English, one of her favorite subjects. She needed a distraction, something to get her mind off that conversation. It would be short-lived, however, as she knew Caroline and Bonnie wouldn't waste a second to ask her about Damon. Hell, probably the entire school wanted to ask her about the guy she talked to.

A piece of crumbled paper which was lying on her desk caught her eye. She took it in her hands, opened it carefully and smiled when she recognized Caroline's delicate handwriting:

_Hey popular girl, hope you're not busy enough to go with Bonnie and I at the bonfire party tonight. Consider yourself warned, we'll come to your place to choose our outfits. Oh, and spare me no details of what you talked about with that guy. Hope you didn't forget what I taught you._

_xoxo Care_


	6. Déjà-vu

**Oh. My. Gosh. 1000+ views. Guys, I can't believe it. As cliché as it may sound, I truly couldn't have it without you. **

**Thank you very much for your on-going support. Every follow, every favorite, every review really means a lot to me. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 6: Déjà-vu_

Elena stared blankly at the empty blackboard in front of her. It was now the last class of the day and perhaps the most boring one. She glanced at the ticking wall clock and groaned inwardly: she still had 10 minutes left before she'd be free to go home and get ready for the evening. The Lockwoods' party that year was something she had been looking forward to for a long time. She and Caroline had dubbed it "_The Night of the Comet"_ as it marked a very special occasion, not only to her, but to the entire Mystic Falls as well. That night, a spectacular comet flew just above the town, for the first time in 145 years. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience as no human had ever lived long enough to see it twice.

But for Elena, that day meant more than seeing a ball of ice and snow light up the ever blue sky. It would have been her parents' 20th wedding anniversary. She had almost forgotten about it, until Jeremy not-so-nicely reminded her. At first, she thought it wouldn't affect her at all, but she soon found herself thinking back to those lazy Sunday afternoons when her mother used to cook lasagna and her father gave Jeremy advice about dating girls. Those memories made her heart ache as she felt she was sinking deeper and deeper into an ocean of misery and despair. It seemed that every time she'd get a taste of happiness, hoping that she'd get a shot at being normal again, fate would bring her back to her knees.

"_You're scared that one day somebody will figure you out and realize that you're no more than a broken little girl." _Damon's words came back to her, echoing through her head.

She tried hard, she really did but what if one day she wouldn't be able to keep it together anymore? What was she supposed to do to truly let go of what happened and finally move on? Her eyes landed on the silver bracelet she'd been wearing and couldn't find the answer to her never-ending dilemma.

No sooner had the bell rung than Elena was midway through the hallway. She couldn't stand being inside that classroom for a minute longer so she grabbed her bag and decided to wait for Bonnie and Caroline outside. As she strode by the empty football court, she saw the silhouette of a man sitting on the dewy grass, his back pressed against the mahogany tree trunk. She stepped closer and realized that the man was actually Mr. Tanner, seemingly enjoying the weather outside. She decided to turn around when suddenly she felt a cold chill run down her spine. Mr. Tanner _never _spent his free time outdoors. He hated birds, plants, insects, everything that had to so with nature in general. Something must have happened to him if he was all by himself in the open air without complaining about anything. She approached him carefully, curiosity getting the better of her.

Time stood still as she gently tapped his shoulder and was met with his cold, unfocused stare. His mouth was wide open as if he was desperately trying to say something but couldn't manage to get the words out. That's not what shocked her the most, though. The last thing she saw before her vision went blurry and her whole body began shaking violently were two small circular marks at the bottom of his neck. Then the screaming started. She wished she could tell whoever was doing that to shut up and hold it together, without realizing that it was her own voice. People had started to gather around but Elena found herself unable to form a coherent thought. Eventually, the screaming stopped and all other noises were muted to a dull roar.

_Blood._

All she could see were scarlet stains of blood. She tried to close her eyes to erase the gruesome image but it wouldn't go away. It was now vividly burned into her brain and it would be followed by many sleepless nights and unanswerable questions.

_It was happening again._

She had never liked Mr. Tanner and she could tell that the feeling was mutual. The guy was a selfish, cocky, impatient man, who had turned out to be a boring teacher as well. He didn't have any children, he wasn't married and all his relatives were either dead or lived it another country. Maybe he had just been an unlucky man. Even so, it didn't matter anymore. She hated him now. She hated him for making her go through this again. She knew it made no sense, yet she needed to put the blame on somebody. Of all people, why had she been the one to find him like that? How many more would have to die next to her? How many more would she lose?

_Numb._

She was vaguely aware that Jeremy and others were calling her name and asking her questions. She couldn't respond. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't feel anything except for the throbbing sound inside her head that grew louder and louder with each second. She soon recognized it as her own erratic heartbeat. It was a funny noise, really. The one that reminded her that she was still among the living whereas the limp body in front of her had vanished forever into the unknown.

_His face was pale, his body still warm._

Realization hit her with such a force, she felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. Tanner's body wasn't cold, meaning that he had been murdered not so many hours ago. She refused to believe that a _wild animal _had killed him in the middle of the yard so there was only possibility left: the killer was in Mystic Falls. It might be one of them.

* * *

It was an ordinary day for Zach Salvatore. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and he had no supernatural beings to kill that day. He was sitting in the living room, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate while reading the latest news. The well-built, middle-aged man was the last heir of the once so famous Salvatore family, having inherited both the Boarding House and the dark secrets of his ancestors. Zach was a loner. He'd always preferred a quiet evening alone to his thoughts instead of spending time with his friends. He was also part of the Town Council. It was his duty to protect the town, but nobody could really blame him for keeping any human contact to the minimum. His family's history was a heavy burden to bear and if townspeople thought he was crazy, then so be it.

"_Animal attacks in Mystic Falls. Are the people safe anymore?" _ a headline from the newspaper caught his attention. _"If they only knew…"_ he sighed.

He knew about Stefan and Damon, his paternal half-uncles, the last family he had. He wasn't particularly fond of them due to their…special nature. _"They should rot in hell." _ He took another sip of the hot brown liquid and turned the page. He'd seen things, stuff that most people only dream about. It wasn't pretty. Not like any TV show or cheesy young adult novel had presented it anyways.

_Vampire. _The word alone sounded so strange, so dangerous, that Zach wrinkled his nose in disgust. Yes, vampires existed. No, they didn't sparkle in the sun, they didn't climb trees to impress girls and holy water had no effect on them. They were assassins, monsters who feed on humans to survive. They were leeches, sucking on the very essence of live to prolong their unnaturally long existence: blood, human or animal, but nonetheless blood. He was only 10 when he entered this dangerous world and now wished he'd never found about it. That's why Stefan's presence bothered Zach, even if he wasn't like many vampires. Since the older Salvatore had returned, there had been several _animal _attacks and Zach could only wonder how long before the Council figured it out.

The front door suddenly burst open, interrupting his train of thought. He saw Stefan, who although was a vampire, looked paler than ever.

"Stefan, you really have to keep it down with those hunting trips of yours. The Council already believes that there's something strange going on. They're not stupid, you know?" Zach spoke up.

That didn't seem to affect the younger Salvatore brother, who was frantically opening and closing drawers, cursing when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Uncle Stefan, I'm serious. You have to-"

"I'm afraid we have bigger problems now." Stefan turned around so he was standing right in front of his nephew. "There's been an attack earlier today at Mystic High. One casualty, the history teacher."

"What? How?"

"He was found murdered in front of the school. He presented 2 bite marks on his neck. The cause of death is currently unknown."

"Did you do it?" Zach made no effort to hide the disgust in his voice. Stefan clenched his jaw, curling his fists into balls.

"You think that I'd still have come here if I was the one who did it? Half the town would be dead by now, I can assure you." He smiled strangely, making Zach shiver at his tone. "No, it was somebody else."

"You mean there's another vampire in town? Just what we needed." A roll of eyes was given. "Poor fella'. To think he was murdered in plain daylight." He shook his head, heading for the liquor cabinet when he fully realized the meaning of his words.

"You don't think it's really him, do you?"

"It seems like it. Fits the pattern and all." Stefan sighed, then poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Brother dearest is back in town."

If Zach thought Stefan could be a pain sometimes, he dreaded the very idea of Damon being back in Mystic Falls. The guy was a psychopath, a ruthless killer with no emotions. He had his own agenda so no one could ever tell what he was really up to. As if that wasn't enough, neither him, nor Stefan stood a chance against him. They were in big trouble.

"What are you going to do about it? He's a threat to all of us." Zach asked cautiously.

"If the time comes, I might have to kill him."

"Are you sure you can do it?" Zach raised a brow skeptically. "No offence uncle, but Damon's faster than you, he's stronger than you and he doesn't care about anybody but himself. Besides, would you kill your own brother? I knew you two aren't exactly close but still…"

"If that's what I have to do to protect this town, then I will."

Much to Stefan's disbelief though, he saw his nephew's face crinkle with laughter.

"I don't find killing my brother funny." The vampire said, losing his patience.

"Quite the contrary." Zach waved his hand dismissively. "What's her name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't give me the _I'm gonna free this town of evil_ speech. You've barely been here for a few months, why would you possibly want to protect it? You may be a century old, but you've still got the brain of a teenager. There has to be a girl involved in the middle of this."

Stefan took another swing at his drink, before collapsing on the sofa sighing.

"Well…" Zach's brows knitted.

"Her name's Elena." Stefan began, drumming his fingers on the soft material. "I just want her to be okay."

Zach thought that he might find out more about this mysterious girl, but Stefan didn't seem willing to share any more information with him. He didn't like the idea of Stefan falling in love with a human (for the poor girl's sake, not his.), yet he could do nothing about it. Ultimately, there was no way he could take on Damon alone, so Stefan was his best shot.

"There's something I want to show you." Zach rose to his feet, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Follow me."

He headed towards the basement and carefully descended the row of wooden stairs. There was a strong smell of rust and decay so he was grateful when they reached a heavy wooden door. He pushed it slowly, motioning for Stefan to come closer. The vampire's eyes grew wide with disbelief as he moved his gaze onto the other Salvatore.

"I have a plan." he announced proudly.

* * *

**So, no Delena action this time (there will be more, I promise). Meanwhile, what did you think about Zach? He was a nice guy, too bad we didn't get to see more of him on the show. **

**Drop me a review if you'd like. I won't mind :D **

**Till next time! :)**


	7. Riot

**I can't even begin to say how sorry I am. I have no excuse whatsoever. **

**I haven't posted a chapter in so long and I was kinda afraid to start writing again after that terrible writer's block. I still don't know if I'm completely over it so yeah...**

**As this is my first chapter after the block it may not be pretty good. But I have to get back in the game so I'm slowly learning to love fanfiction again. Bare with me :D**

**Anyways, enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 7: _Riot_

Later that evening, the feelings of shock eventually subsided, leaving Elena with more questions than she had answers for. Any normal human being would have chosen to stay locked inside the house after seeing what Elena had seen, but she decided it would be better to go outside and have chit-chat with people who barely knew her name, rather than be alone with her thoughts. So, after she convinced Jenna, Bonnie and Caroline that she wouldn't start to scream or cry at any given moment, the three girls headed for the Lockwood mansion outside the city.

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay? You know, we could be watching The Notebook or painting our nails right now. We'll understand if you don't want to be here" Bonnie said as Elena parked the car near the mansion.

"Oh, please! She's fine! Besides, who'd want to miss THE Lockwood party?!" Caroline checked her make-up in the rear mirror one more time. "Some human interaction will do her just fine"

"She's right, Bonnie. I can deal with it, I promise."

They got out of the car, already hearing the deafening music coming from Tyler's house.

"Tonight I'm having fun and you guys are going to help me" she managed a smile.

"Hell yeah!" Caroline squealed. "That's the spirit, honey!" The blonde grabbed Elena's hands and walked inside the front yard.

They arrived fashionably late as the party had already started 1 hour before. Needless to say, half drunk teenagers were jumping into the pool and dancing with bottles of beer in their hands.

"Glad you made it" Tyler shouted from the pool and Elena could only guess that he was slightly intoxicated." Care to join us?"

"Oh joy" Bonnie rolled her eyes_. How could this guy be the son of the respected Lockwoods, one of the oldest founding families in Mystic Falls? _"No thanks, we party solo."

"You're missing all the fun, sweetheart." He winked and Elena's stomach turned upside down.

"Never mind him, your night is about to get better" the petite brunette smiled encouragingly and pointed at someone in the crowd.

The song playing now was _crushcrushcrush _by Paramore and she couldn't help but smile at the lyrics and how accurately they described her current situation:

I got a lot to say to you  
Yeah, I got a lot to say  
I noticed your eyes are always glued to me  
Keeping them here  
And it makes no sense at all

" Don't stare! Go talk to him. Who knows, maybe you have a lot in common."

"Me and Stefan Salvatore? No way."

" It's not like he's had an obsession with you ever since he transferred."

Elena blushed at her friend's comment. It was true. Stefan seemed like a nice guy and for some reason he seemed to have taken an interest in her.

"I'll be right back" she whispered to Bonnie. "Take care of Caroline!"

The blonde arched a brow. "Who do you take me for? I won't do something I haven't done already." Bonnie and Elena gave her a weird look then started to giggle at her joke. It was almost like everything had gone back to normal. Like Elena hadn't seen her dead professor in the yard. It wasn't hard to pretend it didn't happen. After all, that's what she did best these days.

"_Okay, enough over thinking. It's now or never." _ She took a deep breath and made her way towards Stefan. _"Don't mess this up."_

"Fancy seeing you here." He appeared to be surprised but her heart fluttered when she saw the smile that spread all over his face when his eyes met hers.

"Parties aren't exactly my thing." He admitted, shrugging. "But I really wanted to see the comet and I figured you'd be here too. Fortunately, I was correct." His face turned serious. "Are you okay, considering what happened earlier?"

"Just peachy. As happy as you can be after you stumbled upon a dead man."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but thanks, I appreciate it." She found herself smiling too this time.

If Damon was night, with his hypnotic blue eyes and raven hair, then Stefan was definitely day. He had short straight dark brown hair and white pale skin. His soulful green eyes always bore a hint of sadness and melancholy and , unlike Damon, he was rather reserved around other people.

"I'd rather talk about you." She smiled teasingly. "If you don't mind, of course."

"Sure. What do you want to know?" He sounded cheerful but Elena noticed he had tensed quite a bit. His arms were crossed and he eyed her cautiously. Had she touched a sensitive subject?

"Where you come from, where you live, favourite bands, stuff like that."

His jaw clenched at the first question and Elena immediately regretted asking it in the first place.

"My family comes from Italy as my last name suggests, I'm living with my uncle Zach in a mansion at the outskirts of the city and my favourite band is Bon Jovi. Anything else?"

"Have you got any siblings?"

Stefan opened his mouth to answer but he was interrupted by the sound of two boys shouting at each other.

"I said leave her alone! She's better off without you."

_That sounds way too familiar. _Elena gulped at she made her way through the curious crowd that had already gathered.

"What makes you better than me? You're nothing but a lonely orphan, you and your annoying sister. I can't get why Vicki spends time with scrum bags like you!" Tyler voice rose as well. "Maybe she pities you." He smiled devilishly.

Jeremy was the first to throw in a punch, knocking Tyler on the hard ground. By the time Elena managed to break through the cheering crowd, both Jeremy and Tyler had had their faces bruised, blood staining her little brother's shirt.

"Enough, you two!" She grabbed Jeremy from behind just as Matt grabbed Tyler, successfully stopping their fight. She mouthed a thank-you to Matt before shifting her attention to her brother who appeared to have a broken nose and also a busted eye.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She shook her head, shoving him inside the mansion and into the kitchen.

"For the love of God, didn't you hear what that guy said?" He cringed when Elena began to clean his wounds with a damp towel. "He called us orphans and humiliated Vicki in front of everyone? How could I _not _punch him?"

"Jer, listen. I know you like this girl and all but Tyler isn't worth your time. Trust me."

"What is wrong with _you? _ He pushed Elena out of his way. "If you want to ignore him, it's your problem, but I won't be made fun of by someone like him."

"Jeremy wait!" Elena shouted as the boy disappeared in the hallway. She tried to run after him but tripped and fell to her knees.

"What now?" She got up groaning and turned around to see crack in the wooden floorboard. Elena sighed to herself, thinking about her clumsiness when she saw something shiny inside. She removed the loose tile and saw some old books with a funny writing she couldn't decipher, next to an oval shaped teal stone that looked pretty expensive.

" Jesus." She gasped and looked around to make sure nobody had seen her. The strange thing is that she felt drawn to that piece of rock, although she couldn't explain why. There was something off about that rock. She put it back inside the hole, terrified that somebody might find her like this and get the wrong idea. But Elena couldn't tear her eyes apart from it no matter how hard she tried. She should have it examined by John and find more about it. Maybe it could-

_Wait…_

It wasn't as if she was actually thinking of stealing something valuable from the Lockwoods, right? _Not quite._ She quickly dismissed that thought, deciding to trust her intuition on this one. She'd borrow it for a few days, that's all. Nobody would even notice that it was gone.

After she made sure that the books were back in their place, she put back the tile and hid the teal stone into her pocket. Elena then quickly got out of the mansion and into the cold night air. She wasn't in the mood to party anymore, not after the incident with Jeremy and surely not after her scavenger hunt inside the house. She texted Bonnie to let her know she was going home apparently because she wasn't feeling well.

_Nice, now you're lying to your friends, too?_ A sneaky voice inside her head snapped. Elena closed her eyes. What had she become?

Surely enough, she wasn't the self-confident, party girl she used to be. But then, what was left of her now? Who was she? Had she anything in common with the old Elena?

Slowly, like a butterfly testing its wings for the first time, Elena eyelids fluttered open. There wasn't much left of her old life. Instead of dates she had vampire dreams that didn't make sense; instead of gossiping with her friends she stole from people's houses.

She'd promised her mom that she'd stop chasing the ghosts of the past but that's exactly what she was doing. The party, the carefully practiced smile on her lips, the way she had been acting recently, it was all fake. And she hated herself for that.

_The sooner I get out of here the better. _Elena thought, making her way through the sea of wasted teenagers. However, the myriad of voices seemed to have stopped as she felt a sudden shift in the air. She glanced around, her heart almost jumping out of her chest when she was met with a familiar pair of steel blue eyes.

"I never thought you'd show up in a place like this." Damon smiled cockily. "Doesn't really seem your style."

She was surprised when she felt something boil up inside her. Was it rage? Was it something else?

_Don't kid yourself. _The voice echoed again. After what she'd been through that day she was certain she wouldn't be able to feel anything so intense but clearly she had been wrong. It was fear. But she wasn't afraid of him. Not this time. A cold shiver was running down her spine as realization slowly but surely dawned on her. She was afraid of _herself. _She didn't trust her own actions around him. Who knows how she'd respond to him when he challenged her?

She felt the stone in her pocket become heavy so she fought the urge to reach for the pocket and take it in her hands. What would he think of her then?

"Whatever, I'm out of here. See you around." Elena hoped that she would cut their conversation short with that and just _run the hell out of there_. She turned around to leave but the sound of his voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Guess I was right about you then." God, even though she couldn't see his face, she could practically feel his satisfaction growing.

" _Run, run, run" _the voice sang inside but her feet moved on their own in the wrong direction and she found herself standing just a few inches away from him.

"You were right about what?" Elena crossed her arms and faced him directly. If he wanted to get a response out of her then he'd definitely succeeded.

"You don't want to be here. You don't want to be with them." He motioned towards the on-going party with disgust. "That's not who you are. Not anymore."

"Oh yeah?" she arched a brow trying to seem amused (yet she was getting more and more terrified). "Then what am I? _All bossy and fearless when actually I'm scared that one day somebody will figure me out and realize that I'm no more than a broken little girl?" _

"Maybe, maybe not." He shrugged, taking a few steps towards her. You know exactly what you want but you just won't admit it. You're scared."

"Fine, let's say I believe you. Since you appear to know everything about me, won't tell me what I want, mysterious stranger with all the answers?" Elena smiled, clearly curious about what he was about to say.

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and even a little danger." Damon's smirk was back in its place. "You're like a bird trapped inside a cage. There's not enough space for you to spread your wings and be who you want to be."

The way he was talking, how his eyes devoured every part of her, leaving no room for hiding while the distance between them was getting smaller and smaller, it was too much, it was happening too fast but she didn't care. Everything had a sense of familiarity, like she'd been there before, he'd been there before and she knew what was going to happen.

"I see darkness in you. It may not be a lot, you did a good job burring it inside but it's still there, waiting to be unleashed. You want to explore it. Now though-"he paused, fixating her with his intense gaze, "- all you want to do is kiss me."

Her mind went blank. She wished she could stop herself but at time like these she wasn't in control of her actions anymore. Not when he was around to make her question her entire existence. All she had to do was close her eyes and stop analyzing, stop worrying and just go with the flow. How easy it would be, just to lean forward and give in to her-

"NO!" she found herself saying as her hand darted forward, connecting with Damon's jaw with full force.

It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water in her face. What was she thinking? Dreaming about it was one thing but actually doing it? Something was clearly wrong with her.

"You make me sick." She hissed and ran away, leaving a shocked Damon behind.

She was pretty surprised herself. One second ago she was the normal, depressed girl she'd lately been and the other she'd been flirting with Damon and just nearly avoided a make-out session with him. It _really _made no sense at all.

* * *

Elena stifled a yawn while walking towards her car. She felt confused. She was missing something, wasn't she? Could it –

"Jeremy! I totally forgot about him!" The brunette gasped as she reached out for her phone.

Seconds passed by and Elena started to panic when she received no answer. It wasn't like Jeremy not to pick up his phone. They might've had an argument that night but even so, he wouldn't go and do something stupid, right? She could trust him.

She opened her car door, trying to find an explanation for Jeremy's behavior when she felt her blood run cold.

"Somebody help me!" A desperate voice was shouting from the woods.

It sounded familiar. She gulped. _Way too familiar. Almost as if…_

"Anyone, please!"

She left her car and ran as quickly as she could into the forest, trying to find where the voice was coming from and dialing 911.

"Jeremy!" she called for her brother when she saw a silhouette in the distance." Gee- you scared me! What the hell did you have to shout –" She tried to speak but the words were stuck inside her throat.

She saw that Jeremy was carrying an unconscious Vicki in his arms. That's not what scared her the most, though. The two perfect circles at the base of Vicki's neck and her blood soaked dress might've contributed to it as well. That wasn't even the least of it.

She knew that a certain shadow was standing not far away from them, watching Elena's every move with cold ferocious eyes.

Cold ferocious _steel blue_ eyes.

She ran. She didn't think about it. She didn't care if the trees scratched her face and tore her clothes. She just ran. She had to get back to her car. Immediately.

With trembling hands, she strapped her seat belt and started the engine. She couldn't go home, not now. There was only one person who could help her without putting the others in danger. She broke at least 4 driving rules but she reached her destination in one piece, in record time. She knocked 3 times on the door and after the longest 30 seconds of her life, she was greeted with uncle John's sleepy form.

"Vampires…do… exist." was all she could manage to say before exhaustion and shock finally settled in and she collapsed in John's arms.

* * *

**So...this is it!**

**Also, don't hate me for making Elena interested in Stefan. I need to make a triangle, man!**

** Any ideas for future chapters? Complaints , stuff?**

**Drop me a review...I won't bite :)**

**'Till next time!**


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